Thomson

It’s a heck of a way to run a pre-election campaign. On the eve of an expected election, politicians usually spend their time playing up good news, downplaying the bad, shaking hands and kissing babies.

Famoso just like old Napoli

Monica Hinein takes a pizza out of the Forno oven at Famoso pizzeria’s new location on Whyte Ave. in Edmonton.

Photograph by: Bruce Edwards
, Bruce Edwards

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria

Address: 10421 Whyte Ave.

Phone: 780-761-0540

Dinner for two, without wine: About $50

It was years ago that Susan Morrow, former general manager of the Princess Theatre and a pioneer in the rebirth of Old Strathcona, warned that the neighbourhood was being destroyed by its very popularity. Rents were rising, as locals were being squeezed out by corporate chains, a plethora of nondescript bars, the usual tired mall suspects and brain-dead businesses apparently designed to attract greater yobbo-dom.

That unsettling prediction has come partially true by any sober reckoning. Global chains sit on all four corners of Strathcona’s power intersection at 82nd Avenue and 104th Street, the latest being a Las Vegas-hatched pub that cannily marries Hooters pneumatics with kilts and bar fare.

On the other hand — and thankfully, there is one — indies of all stripes also continue to flourish in the ‘hood, which through it all still remains the city’s most vital retail real estate.

Anyway, all chains aren’t created equally.

Take Famoso, which has just opened a Whyte Avenue outpost in the lovely old Chapman Bros. building next to the Black Dog. While ambitious in scope, the pizza chain was born here, inspired by a 2005 visit to Naples and a meal at Pizzeria Sorbillo by homeboy Justin Lussier, who enlisted mates Christian Bullock (Wok Box) and Jason Allard (of the local dynasty) to bring the singular delights of the Neapolitan oven to the Great North.

Five years on since the first opening on Jasper Avenue, Famoso has grown slowly, with 20 or so mostly suburban locations in Alberta, B.C. and Ontario expected to be up and running by fall 2012. It’s all so quintessentially Edmontonian that the partners have lately moved the head office to Surrey. Sigh.

The company hypes its dedication to traditional Neapolitan fire-roasted methods, including the strict use of imported “OO” Caputo flour, San Marzano tomatoes as well as Italian olive oil and cheeses. The dough is hand-stretched to a maximum 35 centimetres — watch for yourself in the ongoing show fronting the signature wood-fired oven — and cooked for a scant 90 seconds at a volcanic 900 degrees F. Prospective franchisees are taken to Napoli to see how it’s done in the mother church.

Famoso’s apparent dedication to education and doing things nella tradizione appears to be paying off – at least for the customer. A recent visit to the Whyte Avenue restaurant was a superior experience to previous trips to the original Jasper Avenue location, which were still decent enough in a difficult space to love.

This room, with its fetching storefront streetscape windows and brick walls, is terrific. It’s a loud place, alive, artfully partitioned, with framed family photos, charming naive oils of Naples and Mount Vesuvius, chintzy light fixtures, cosy booths, nooks and a long sharing table. The non-stop entertainment around the open bar and oven area adds to the buzz, as does the queue to get in.

We started off sharing the (alliterative if mis-named) tapenade trio ($9), elegantly presented with flatbread, which hit two out of three including tasty Kalamata olive and artichoke preparations. The third amico on the plate, a bland bruschetta, should really be a seasonal inclusion given the meh quality of available fresh tomatoes. Prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella balls (3 for $10) were delicious, drenched in an honest Campania tomato sauce.

Pizzas are divided into red, white and “new world” categories. A featured meatball (red, $14.50) and prosciutto arugula (white, $14.50) were selected, along with a small Gorgonzola-walnut salad ($8). The pizzas were very good indeed and the soul of the real thing, which is to say simple, chewy, minimalist, showcasing quality ingredients and appealingly charred. There are myriad pizza choices available – including lunkhead North American abominations for the rabble — as well as sandwiches, soup and lunch variations. The salad was a boring, ineptly dressed disappointment with a minuscule dollop of cheese, and you hope that this was an anomaly since accompanying righteous greens are a must in this field of endeavour.

The wine list is short and — notwithstanding the declaration that they are priced $15 over “retail” – on the pricey side, given this sort of agreeably casual establishment. That said, an acceptable flagon of white or red can be found for 30 bucks.

Tiramisu ($6) and Nutella pizza ($8) were the dessert choices, with the former moist, light dish outstripping the latter, no doubt a gooey crowd pleaser we found a tad on the cloying side. Next time the panna cotta and a hit of Limoncello beckon.

I’ve heard complaints from some trusted corners about Famoso, and you wonder if they don’t have to do with an aversion to Neapolitan pizza itself. It is a singular product here, quite different than the many other variations available, from the sublime New York Tony’s school to the loathsome corporate spawn of Herman Cain. Others grouse about Famoso’s mildly annoying system of forcing patrons to order at a counter in advance, an oddity given the efficient, well-trained table servers, who take over upon each order.

In fact, Famoso at this point is about as good as branded vittles get around here and represent a welcome addition to Whyte Avenue. Not without its faults, an attempt to deliver authentic soul food to the masses seems to be underway.

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